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Thursday, October 17, 2013

Cold and Colder

These are itemsyou should keep in your fridge and freezer at all times.

You may notice
that I don't have many fruits or veggies on these lists. This is because if
you're on a budget, you should go with what's in season.

If you're not
sure what's in season, it's often the produce that's on sale.

Fridge
Essentials

Butter - Extremely
versatile, it can be used for everything from sauces, to soups, to sautés, to
custards both sweet and savory, to baked goods, to greasing a pan, or you can
just spread it on toast and call it a day. While this is typically a fridge
ingredient, you can also keep it in the freezer if you don't plan to use it
right away and/or if you're planning to make pie crust, which usually calls for
the fat you're using to be as cold as possible. If you can't have butter for
health or religious reasons, then use Margarine,
as it generally has less cholesterol, furthermore, some brands, like
Fleischmann's are designed for people who can't mix meat and milk.

Eggs - Good on its own, it is also an extremely handy ingredient.
You can make just about anything, from omelets and fritatas, to custards, with
an egg or six. While eggs come in many sizes, you'll get the most mileage out of large ones.

Milk - Regular or Lactose Free - you can use any fat level, but I
like 2% as I find it the most versatile.

Plain Cream Cheese

Dump this in a pot of fresh pasta with a
little of the cooking water and some pesto if you wish, and you instantly have
pasta with a cream sauce. See?

Add a little
sugar, butter, and flavoring to cream cheese and you have the filling for a
cheese cake.

Plain Yogurt

Manyprefer Greek, as it's a bit thicker. If you have tummy troubles, go with
a Probiotic variety. Good on its own, this stuff can be used in smoothies, as a
base for dips and sauces, or as a low fat butter substitute for finishing
sauces.

Onions

The inexpensive
medium sized ones that come in a net bag or basket are fine.Make sure they're firm and not squishy
or slimy when you buy them.

Garlic - Buy the cheap ones, just make sure the
pieces aka cloves fill out the skin and the bulb or head actually smells. If
they're shrunken and have a weak odor, the garlic's no good.

Lemons or Limes

The juice can be used in anything sweet
or savory, as can the outer skin, also known as the zest.Don't buy any fruit that looks shrunken or feels rock hard when
yousqueeze it.

Nice...

But not
necessary

Whipping cream

This stuff isn't limited to whipped
topping on desserts. I find it also useful for making cream sauces, mousses,
and other desserts. Lactose intolerant? No problem! A few companies now offer
lactose free varieties. Buy the liquid stuff in cartons, not in cans or tubs!
The latter is full of artificial garbage! To whip the cream, add some sugar,
and beat the crap out it with a whisk by moving it back and forth or in a
circle in the cream as fast as you can until it thickens and starts looking
like whipped cream. If the solids separate from the liquid, you've whipped it too
much. Pour out some more and try again.

Mayonnaise or Jarred Salad Dressing

This is an ingredient you can easily make
yourself, but if you're like me and simply don't have the time, use a jarred
variety. Plain mayonnaise works best for most recipes, such as salad dressings,
and in tuna or chicken salad.

Jarred Capers

Jarred capers are small, savoury
berries packed in brine. You'll often find them with the pickles. They impart
great flavor to fish recipes, veal, meat and fish tartares, deviled eggs, and
sauces.

Cheese

You'll get the most mileage out of a grated
Parmesan or Romano cheese, which are pricey, but go a long way. NEVER BUY THE STUFF THAT IS NOT IN THE
FRIDGE/ COLD SECTION OF THE GROCERY STORE! They are loaded with unhealthy
garbage. If it's in a shaker on the regular shelves, it's probably
crap.Don't buy it.

Freezer
Items

These are great
on a budget, as they last a long time.

Frozen, Chopped Spinach

Just thaw in the Fridge, stove top, or
microwave, and you're ready to go! Even if you don't like spinach, this stuff
is chopped enough that you can sneak it into other thingslike pasta sauces and smoothies without
tasting it, and still get the health benefits. It's a good trick to play on
kids who won't eat their veggies. Some brands of frozen spinach even come in
bags of frozen cubes so you can defrost small portions as needed.

If you live alone, this is a life saver.
Buy your desired cut of chicken, trim the fat off if you wish, and then
individually wrap them in saran wrap or press and seal wrap, put them in a
freezer bag that's been dated with indelible marker, and pop em' in the
freezer. These can be thawed in the fridge as needed, though if you are making
stir fry it's better to slice the meat while it's frozen, as it's easier to get
thin slices. The cut of the meat is entirely up to you - breasts have white
meat, thighs have dark, however, a butcher did
inform me that thighs are better for stir fries as the meat is juicier
(insert dirty joke here). Once frozen,
the chicken will keep for up to 9 months.

Individually Wrapped Portions of Ground
Beef

Ground beef is
another item that's great on a budget. My theory is that people ground up meat
because it makes tough cuts of meat, such as chuck, easier to cook in less time.
Ground beef comes in many fat levels i.e. extra lean, lean, and medium. Lean is
ideal, but you don't want extra lean
for fat free also means flavor free, and dry ashy meat. If you buy a large
amount, simply divide into portions and wrap it as you would the chicken. Once frozen, if wrapped tightly enough, it
will keep for about 4 months.

Individually Wrapped Frozen Bacon

Bacon is pretty cheap, and a little goes
a very long way in sweet and savory dishes. Follow the same procedure for
individual strips as you would use for the chicken, though this is easier using
press and seal wrap, and no plastic bag. Once you've cooked it, pour off the
fat into a jar and save it for a while. The fat can impart great flavor to
veggies and potatoes once you fry said ingredient in it, just remember that
it's loaded with cholesterol. Once
frozen, the bacon will keep for about 1 month.

Frozen Pie Crusts

These usually come in packs of two. Most varieties contain lard or pig fat, so
if you're trying to avoid pork products, read the label carefully before you
buy.

Frozen Fruit or Berries -
A quick fix for dessert or breakfast when thawed and served with yogurt or ice
cream, or in a smoothie. Since frozen fruit is expensive, if you can't afford it already frozen, buy what's in season and freeze
it yourself. Simply buy the fruit, wash it, peel and cut it up if necessary
('necessary' meaning it has a tough inedible skin, like cantaloupe or pineapple),
and then put it on a baking sheet and pop in the freezer. This will keep the
fruit from sticking together. Once it's frozen, put it in a baggie or baggies,
and keep for future use.

Nice...

But not
necessary

Puff Pastry

This stuff is incredibly versatile and
making it yourself is a BIG pain in the ass. It can be used as the base for
fancy things like Beef, Chicken, or Salmon Wellington (which I will provide a
recipe for later on), an extra flakey quiche, or even sweet things like cookies
and tarts.

Once you have the aforementioned items,
the possibilities are limitless.

About Me

I am a Montreal home cook, cookbook collector, and writer who learned
a long time ago not to listen to what people say about your food, but rather tolook athow much they eat.
Which in my case, is a lot. I do everything. I cook, I bake, and will even try
my hand at sauce making. My culinary repertoire includes making pasta and
gnocchi from scratch, baking a superb challah aka egg-bread, cinnamon buns, and
I make some of the best chicken adobo you will ever taste. I also have a knack
for creating great things out of leftovers, and/or whatever I have on hand at
any given time.I will gladly help out
with any kitchen or meal dilemma you have.